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Striker V #1
Striker V: Elements of Change
HEROES have long been the protectors of humanity. These days, they find themselves under the employ of the government. Sure, the pay and benefits are good, but their jobs are high-stress and require long hours. As a result, Neil Harris, the fifth Hero to bear the name Striker, finds his work-life balance in shambles.
Every day, Neil struggles to deal with a demanding workload, maintaining his relationship, and finding time to simply relax. Something is going to give soon, and he feels like it might just be him.
The Superhero novel written for those who can't quite find the time to read.
Every day, Neil struggles to deal with a demanding workload, maintaining his relationship, and finding time to simply relax. Something is going to give soon, and he feels like it might just be him.
The Superhero novel written for those who can't quite find the time to read.
320 pages, Paperback
Published December 9, 2018
74 people are currently reading
124 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 11, 2022
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.5 stars
The way in which Josh Vidmar has built the world of Striker — the government agencies in charge of finding these superpowered individuals as children and training them up, the naming conventions, the descriptions of powers — works nicely and is interesting to read about, but in a world where monsters attack every day with enough regularity that you have multiple heroes patrolling the same area not for show, but because monsters, demons, and super villains will approach is kind of overkill. The writing is serviceable, but there is a lot of repeating. Neil will have a thought, then repeat it almost verbatim. He’s also non-stop snark, which isn’t a bad thing, but it does make for a rather one-note character. Like with comedy, some people will enjoy this flavor of snark while others won’t. Myself, I felt as though the snark was forced in a few areas, and overused in others.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
3.5 stars
The way in which Josh Vidmar has built the world of Striker — the government agencies in charge of finding these superpowered individuals as children and training them up, the naming conventions, the descriptions of powers — works nicely and is interesting to read about, but in a world where monsters attack every day with enough regularity that you have multiple heroes patrolling the same area not for show, but because monsters, demons, and super villains will approach is kind of overkill. The writing is serviceable, but there is a lot of repeating. Neil will have a thought, then repeat it almost verbatim. He’s also non-stop snark, which isn’t a bad thing, but it does make for a rather one-note character. Like with comedy, some people will enjoy this flavor of snark while others won’t. Myself, I felt as though the snark was forced in a few areas, and overused in others.
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
March 25, 2025
Solid light reading. I like the main character and his boyfriend.
January 27, 2026
This was meant to be a book I read when I was on the treadmill, taking a break from curriculum writing, or when I couldn’t fall asleep. The type of story it didn’t matter much if I drifted in and out of. I was reading it on my cell phone, not even a damned e-reader. Striker V gripped me in the early chapters and didn’t let me go for a good long while. This novel examines Superheros from a more person-first perspective than the standard, caring just as much about how humans would react to the constant violence of superhero activity as the fights themselves. It didn’t quite stick the landing, and I have some issues with the resolution of the story. However, it did things I haven’t seen much in superhero stories, and those bits felt just as interesting as The Watchmen.
Read if Looking For: characters with depression, governmental bureaucracy (and sometimes humor), dystopian superheroes, happy endings
Avoid if Looking For: nuanced climaxes to nuanced conflicts, creative superhero powers, villains that make sense, tonal consistency
Elevator Pitch:
Striker is the fifth superhero with his name. He’s got seven years until retirement and two years until he reaches his heroic lineage’s average age of death (none have survived to retire). He’s got big muscles, a massive healing factor, and some touch-based mind syncing. He’s been worn down by the constant pain of his existence, the fear that no matter what he does his bones will be ground to dust over and over while the public excitedly waits for him to fall from a skyscraper one more time so that Subway will give away free promotional sandwiches. The shifts have been longer recently with increased villain activity, and the book opens with him in a desperate battle against his best friend in the world, who has just now gone rogue.
What Worked for Me:
Vidmar does an excellent job of painting the bleak side of superheroic culture. Neil is a jaded veteran who doesn’t see the light. His government employers don’t see him as anything other than a tool, and the only thing holding him together is a relationship that even he can see needs some work. He’s constantly in his head, trying to just survive the onslaught that life throws at him. He doesn’t want to be here; he didn’t even want to be a superhero. It was decided for him as soon as his powers manifested. Striker V really nails internal dialogue as a driving force in this storyline as Neil begins to break more and more from his training and his government.
The setting for this reminded me a lot of The Incredibles, specifically the portions in the Insurance Agency when Mr. Incredible feels hopeless. The superhero world is lovingly webbed in red tape until it can’t move anymore. Sometimes this is humorous: ripping the license plates off cars before chucking them at a monster for insurance purposes. Sometimes this is fucking sad: see the Subway promotion relating directly to Neil crashing hundreds of feet to the ground - he heals but he has no pain dampening powers. Sometimes it's hopeful: new supers learn to rip doors off hinges instead of kicking them in as a way to minimize civilian casualties. Sometimes this is Utilitarian: supers aren’t allowed to intervene in minor crimes for fear of humanity becoming reliant on them. Vidmar did a great job creating something believable, dystopian, and three dimensional in his take on superheroes.
Outside of striker, our cast of characters is an interesting if 2-Dimensional bunch. They were all fun, but nobody other than Neil was particularly nuanced. It seems like book 2 focuses on other characters (the no-nonsense government supervisor, the devil-adjacent superhero who travels through hell, the plucky sidekick with Luck powers), and I trust that each of them will get fleshed out like Neil did in this book.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
The first half of this book had so much potential! So much promise! The second half … well it went downhill pretty quickly. Partially, this shift in my enjoyment was because the book itself ended up feeling a lot more like a traditional superhero book towards the end. Lots of fight scenes, a big ass villain, world-ending threats, etc etc. Not only did Neil’s depression take a backseat, but it became a nonissue rapidly and cleanly. Suddenly his life was full of joy and potential and he clearly saw the path forwards. While I’m sure that some people have had this experience, it didn’t ring authentic to me. This is a shame considering how much Neil’s internal demons made the first half of the book a standout. It wanted a classic happy ending without doing any of the hard work needed to get there, and was a bit letdown.
Our villain is also a major sticking point for me. Without going too much into spoiler territory, they single out Neil as especially deserving of punishment compared to other Supers, and proudly claim to be saving him for last. He’ll have to watch those he loves die horribly, etc etc. The villain’s motivation for this laser-focused hate? Neil was visibly depressed in interviews, and seemed broken to the villain. It didn’t make sense to me, especially when other parts of this villain were legitimately interesting and had things to say about the ethics of superhero in a more environmental approach. It felt forced and inauthentic compared to other parts of this story.
Based on the summaries of other books I’ve seen, it seems like this series will continue to straddle more serious takes on mental health, trauma, and healing with a traditional tropey superhero storyline. I hope I enjoy the heroic elements more in the sequels, otherwise book 2 will be the end of my time with the series. Time will tell, I suppose.
Want More Reviews Like This? try my blog Marked For Plot
Read if Looking For: characters with depression, governmental bureaucracy (and sometimes humor), dystopian superheroes, happy endings
Avoid if Looking For: nuanced climaxes to nuanced conflicts, creative superhero powers, villains that make sense, tonal consistency
Elevator Pitch:
Striker is the fifth superhero with his name. He’s got seven years until retirement and two years until he reaches his heroic lineage’s average age of death (none have survived to retire). He’s got big muscles, a massive healing factor, and some touch-based mind syncing. He’s been worn down by the constant pain of his existence, the fear that no matter what he does his bones will be ground to dust over and over while the public excitedly waits for him to fall from a skyscraper one more time so that Subway will give away free promotional sandwiches. The shifts have been longer recently with increased villain activity, and the book opens with him in a desperate battle against his best friend in the world, who has just now gone rogue.
What Worked for Me:
Vidmar does an excellent job of painting the bleak side of superheroic culture. Neil is a jaded veteran who doesn’t see the light. His government employers don’t see him as anything other than a tool, and the only thing holding him together is a relationship that even he can see needs some work. He’s constantly in his head, trying to just survive the onslaught that life throws at him. He doesn’t want to be here; he didn’t even want to be a superhero. It was decided for him as soon as his powers manifested. Striker V really nails internal dialogue as a driving force in this storyline as Neil begins to break more and more from his training and his government.
The setting for this reminded me a lot of The Incredibles, specifically the portions in the Insurance Agency when Mr. Incredible feels hopeless. The superhero world is lovingly webbed in red tape until it can’t move anymore. Sometimes this is humorous: ripping the license plates off cars before chucking them at a monster for insurance purposes. Sometimes this is fucking sad: see the Subway promotion relating directly to Neil crashing hundreds of feet to the ground - he heals but he has no pain dampening powers. Sometimes it's hopeful: new supers learn to rip doors off hinges instead of kicking them in as a way to minimize civilian casualties. Sometimes this is Utilitarian: supers aren’t allowed to intervene in minor crimes for fear of humanity becoming reliant on them. Vidmar did a great job creating something believable, dystopian, and three dimensional in his take on superheroes.
Outside of striker, our cast of characters is an interesting if 2-Dimensional bunch. They were all fun, but nobody other than Neil was particularly nuanced. It seems like book 2 focuses on other characters (the no-nonsense government supervisor, the devil-adjacent superhero who travels through hell, the plucky sidekick with Luck powers), and I trust that each of them will get fleshed out like Neil did in this book.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
The first half of this book had so much potential! So much promise! The second half … well it went downhill pretty quickly. Partially, this shift in my enjoyment was because the book itself ended up feeling a lot more like a traditional superhero book towards the end. Lots of fight scenes, a big ass villain, world-ending threats, etc etc. Not only did Neil’s depression take a backseat, but it became a nonissue rapidly and cleanly. Suddenly his life was full of joy and potential and he clearly saw the path forwards. While I’m sure that some people have had this experience, it didn’t ring authentic to me. This is a shame considering how much Neil’s internal demons made the first half of the book a standout. It wanted a classic happy ending without doing any of the hard work needed to get there, and was a bit letdown.
Our villain is also a major sticking point for me. Without going too much into spoiler territory, they single out Neil as especially deserving of punishment compared to other Supers, and proudly claim to be saving him for last. He’ll have to watch those he loves die horribly, etc etc. The villain’s motivation for this laser-focused hate? Neil was visibly depressed in interviews, and seemed broken to the villain. It didn’t make sense to me, especially when other parts of this villain were legitimately interesting and had things to say about the ethics of superhero in a more environmental approach. It felt forced and inauthentic compared to other parts of this story.
Based on the summaries of other books I’ve seen, it seems like this series will continue to straddle more serious takes on mental health, trauma, and healing with a traditional tropey superhero storyline. I hope I enjoy the heroic elements more in the sequels, otherwise book 2 will be the end of my time with the series. Time will tell, I suppose.
Want More Reviews Like This? try my blog Marked For Plot
September 2, 2021
A Fun Superhero/Antihero Story
Striker V reminded me A LOT of the Supervillainy stories that I’ve read by C.T. Phipps. Like to the point that every time Vidmar mentioned “Gary” I would jump right back into thinking this was just another book in that series. Now, saying that, I mean it completely complimentary, and I might only have one point of reference since those are the only other superhero-like stories I’ve read. But I LOVE Phipps’ books so any comparison to those from me is great.
I thought that Vidmar did a great job of writing a character that was likable even if I couldn’t put my finger on why I liked him. He seemed to be a bit off and aloof but he also seemed to be going in the right direction (even when it appeared that he was going way off course).
I really found myself liking the over-arching storyline that Vidmar had – basically, superheroes are great and do all of this good, but when do they get to take a break? When can they have a little bit of time off to rest and recover? That was a unique angle I’d never even thought about before but will now every time I see or read another superhero story. Striker V being the 5th Striker was something unique as well, I know that the movies have done it when replacing one Batman with another actor – but they never acknowledge that this is the 5th batman or anything. I don’t read enough comics to know if that’s commonplace there or not, but I really liked that idea and thought that it would cause an interesting feeling – replacing a superhero once something happens to them.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one and absolutely flew through it. I really liked Striker/Neil as a character. He was funny and had me cracking up throughout. I want to know both more about him and hear more of what he ends up getting into. I also wanted to point out that I love that this is probably the first superhero story where the main character was gay. I almost didn’t mention it because it was just so natural and normal but because Vidmar included it, I thought it was worth mentioning. Their story was super cute and really added to the overall feeling that this book had (and really added to why I liked Neil even more – he was such a caring partner).
Honestly, I give as much info about the narration as I can, but I can’t tell if it’s because of the book and the way the story was told of if it truly does – Patrick Boylan’s narration reminded me a lot of Jeffrey Kafer’s – but Kafer mixed with a little bit of Steve Campbell which tells me maybe it’s a Canadian version of Kafer?). I say that because they are both some of my favorite narrators – so to combine them was great. I really enjoyed Boylan’s narration. He was able to really tell the story and make it jump off of the page.
Striker V reminded me A LOT of the Supervillainy stories that I’ve read by C.T. Phipps. Like to the point that every time Vidmar mentioned “Gary” I would jump right back into thinking this was just another book in that series. Now, saying that, I mean it completely complimentary, and I might only have one point of reference since those are the only other superhero-like stories I’ve read. But I LOVE Phipps’ books so any comparison to those from me is great.
I thought that Vidmar did a great job of writing a character that was likable even if I couldn’t put my finger on why I liked him. He seemed to be a bit off and aloof but he also seemed to be going in the right direction (even when it appeared that he was going way off course).
I really found myself liking the over-arching storyline that Vidmar had – basically, superheroes are great and do all of this good, but when do they get to take a break? When can they have a little bit of time off to rest and recover? That was a unique angle I’d never even thought about before but will now every time I see or read another superhero story. Striker V being the 5th Striker was something unique as well, I know that the movies have done it when replacing one Batman with another actor – but they never acknowledge that this is the 5th batman or anything. I don’t read enough comics to know if that’s commonplace there or not, but I really liked that idea and thought that it would cause an interesting feeling – replacing a superhero once something happens to them.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one and absolutely flew through it. I really liked Striker/Neil as a character. He was funny and had me cracking up throughout. I want to know both more about him and hear more of what he ends up getting into. I also wanted to point out that I love that this is probably the first superhero story where the main character was gay. I almost didn’t mention it because it was just so natural and normal but because Vidmar included it, I thought it was worth mentioning. Their story was super cute and really added to the overall feeling that this book had (and really added to why I liked Neil even more – he was such a caring partner).
Honestly, I give as much info about the narration as I can, but I can’t tell if it’s because of the book and the way the story was told of if it truly does – Patrick Boylan’s narration reminded me a lot of Jeffrey Kafer’s – but Kafer mixed with a little bit of Steve Campbell which tells me maybe it’s a Canadian version of Kafer?). I say that because they are both some of my favorite narrators – so to combine them was great. I really enjoyed Boylan’s narration. He was able to really tell the story and make it jump off of the page.
October 7, 2021
I generally only read books that are of familiarity to me - the chick flick in-a-book style - so I was slightly nervous to branch out of my comfort zone. Recommended to me by some friends, I got the book off of Amazon one week, and settled down the night I got received it.
I love to read books. The only issue is, when I start a book that is phenomenally written, I. Cannot. Put. It. Down. The O N L Y reason I couldn’t finish Elements of Change in one night was because I started it during the week and needed to get up for work the next day.
Now for the book: heavy social and mental topics are presented with a lighter touch. Not to dismiss the seriousness, but to perhaps show that such taboo stuff isn’t so taboo. The superhero twist adds for a fun break from all the same-old, same-old fictional relationship books.
Josh Vidmar, the author, has truly outdone himself in writing this book and expressing himself. I absolutely cannot wait to read the next chapter in the series.
I love to read books. The only issue is, when I start a book that is phenomenally written, I. Cannot. Put. It. Down. The O N L Y reason I couldn’t finish Elements of Change in one night was because I started it during the week and needed to get up for work the next day.
Now for the book: heavy social and mental topics are presented with a lighter touch. Not to dismiss the seriousness, but to perhaps show that such taboo stuff isn’t so taboo. The superhero twist adds for a fun break from all the same-old, same-old fictional relationship books.
Josh Vidmar, the author, has truly outdone himself in writing this book and expressing himself. I absolutely cannot wait to read the next chapter in the series.
August 20, 2020
Fantastic debut novel, finally together in one volume!
On deeper levels, deals with governmental powers, mental instability, and coping with everyday problems from friendships to relationships to the day-to-day grind of work. But approaches these issues through the extraordinary lens of someone with extraordinary abilities. Takes the reader on an epic adventure from South Florida to locales all over the world. Rich descriptions of the landscapes take a backseat to the true heart of the novel, the interactions between the characters as they tackle super-powered obstacles with real life correlations. And all of it with a coping mechanism sense of humor and irreverence that provides a cohesiveness to the narrative even as the plot and characters move quickly in facing the perils in front of them at every turn.
On deeper levels, deals with governmental powers, mental instability, and coping with everyday problems from friendships to relationships to the day-to-day grind of work. But approaches these issues through the extraordinary lens of someone with extraordinary abilities. Takes the reader on an epic adventure from South Florida to locales all over the world. Rich descriptions of the landscapes take a backseat to the true heart of the novel, the interactions between the characters as they tackle super-powered obstacles with real life correlations. And all of it with a coping mechanism sense of humor and irreverence that provides a cohesiveness to the narrative even as the plot and characters move quickly in facing the perils in front of them at every turn.
August 16, 2023
As I'm writing this review in August 2023, superhero fiction has invaded pretty much every medium. But it's not all fighting bad guys and natural disasters for our heroes.
They have lives just like the rest of us, and Elements of Change thrives in making these superhumans...well, human. The characters are all layered and relatable, dealing with not just apocalyptic events, but red tape at work, interpersonal relationships, and choosing what to watch on Netflix after a hard day of heroism. Plus lamenting the fact that one hero's failures result in a discount at the local Subway (a recurring gag that always got a laugh).
The story doesn't veer into parody, as you can tell that Vidmar loves these characters and the genre as a whole. The tone reminded me a lot of John Scalzi with a superhero bent. There are very serious moments, but often punctuated with a quip that will dry away the tears that were streaming down your face.
Is Elements of Change a fine piece of literature destined to be studied by academics? No. It's not trying to be. It blends superhero comfort food with a story reminding you of the humanity of the heroes we look up to. Elevated comfort food, if you will. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in this universe, and look forward to the future adventures of Neil, Erica, Tykie, Evan, and the rest.
They have lives just like the rest of us, and Elements of Change thrives in making these superhumans...well, human. The characters are all layered and relatable, dealing with not just apocalyptic events, but red tape at work, interpersonal relationships, and choosing what to watch on Netflix after a hard day of heroism. Plus lamenting the fact that one hero's failures result in a discount at the local Subway (a recurring gag that always got a laugh).
The story doesn't veer into parody, as you can tell that Vidmar loves these characters and the genre as a whole. The tone reminded me a lot of John Scalzi with a superhero bent. There are very serious moments, but often punctuated with a quip that will dry away the tears that were streaming down your face.
Is Elements of Change a fine piece of literature destined to be studied by academics? No. It's not trying to be. It blends superhero comfort food with a story reminding you of the humanity of the heroes we look up to. Elevated comfort food, if you will. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in this universe, and look forward to the future adventures of Neil, Erica, Tykie, Evan, and the rest.
October 6, 2021
Loved this book! Josh has a way of painting a vivid picture of what is happening with just the right amount of words. I couldn’t help but see the story playing out in my mind. His characters have just the right amount of depth - not too much that I couldn’t keep the details straight, but just enough that I felt connected to them. The story is super-hero, but still really gets to some tough societal issues. Really a fantastic read. Looking forward to reading more in the series.
December 31, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed the start of this superhero series, which gets into the day-to-day details of life as a modern superhero that aren’t usually told. Is it the best book I’ve read this year? No, but it’s done a really good job starting to build a world that I’m excited to spend more time in with the subsequent books.
March 23, 2025
Loved this book! I enjoyed the superhero storyline (this is the first superhero book I've read and it fills a Marvel shaped hole in my heart) and diverse, well-rounded characters with strengths and flaws. The characters were well written and I was hooked from the very beginning and invested in the story until the end. I am so glad there are many more books in this series to keep me going!
July 21, 2025
I love this book! I think my favorite part of it is just seeing the characters interact with one another and them being relatable through pop culture references or sarcasm. I can't wait to read the rest! :D
September 5, 2025
Refreshingly Different
This was a refreshing take on some of the tropes of being a superhero. Looking forward to seeing where this series goes.
This was a refreshing take on some of the tropes of being a superhero. Looking forward to seeing where this series goes.
Read
January 3, 2021Great read!! Loved the characters!
October 7, 2021
I generally only read books that are of familiarity to me - the chick flick in-a-book style - so I was slightly nervous to branch out of my comfort zone. Recommended to me by some friends, I got the book off of Amazon one week, and settled down the night I got received it.
I love to read books. The only issue is, when I start a book that is phenomenally written, I. Cannot. Put. It. Down. The O N L Y reason I couldn’t finish Elements of Change in one night was because I started it during the week and needed to get up for work the next day.
Now for the book: heavy social and mental topics are presented with a lighter touch. Not to dismiss the seriousness, but to perhaps show that such taboo stuff isn’t so taboo. The superhero twist adds for a fun break from all the same-old, same-old fictional relationship books.
Josh Vidmar, the author, has truly outdone himself in writing this book and expressing himself. I absolutely cannot wait to read the next chapter in the series.
I love to read books. The only issue is, when I start a book that is phenomenally written, I. Cannot. Put. It. Down. The O N L Y reason I couldn’t finish Elements of Change in one night was because I started it during the week and needed to get up for work the next day.
Now for the book: heavy social and mental topics are presented with a lighter touch. Not to dismiss the seriousness, but to perhaps show that such taboo stuff isn’t so taboo. The superhero twist adds for a fun break from all the same-old, same-old fictional relationship books.
Josh Vidmar, the author, has truly outdone himself in writing this book and expressing himself. I absolutely cannot wait to read the next chapter in the series.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews